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Bryan County approves multiple industrial rezonings, tables UDO coverage change
Summary
The Bryan County Board approved three Highway 280 rezonings to light industrial and a 707.48‑acre sketch plat for future industrial development, while a proposed Unified Development Ordinance change clarifying hard‑surface lot coverage failed and was tabled to February.
The Bryan County Board of Commissioners on a recent agenda approved a series of land‑use actions that will reshape parts of the county’s Highway 280 corridor and cleared the way for a large industrial sketch plat, but it stopped short of adopting a clarification to the county’s lot‑coverage rules.
Planning staff described a sketch plat request from Stravinsky Capital to subdivide roughly 707.48 acres on Warnell Farm Road into four future parcels, add an interior private road and establish required utility easements. Staff recommended approval with conditions including dedication of a 20‑foot county water utility easement, access easements to the Bryan County well site and finalized developer water/sewer agreements prior to permits. The board voted to approve the sketch plat and added language that staff will discuss a sidewalk waiver with the developer.
The board also approved three related rezonings along Highway 280 after a public hearing: three parcels totaling approximately 31–32 acres (individual parcel IDs presented in staff reports) were rezoned from rural residential (RR‑1) to I‑1 light industrial following Planning & Zoning’s recommendation. Holly Young, the agent representing several landowners, told the board the owners had been unable to find residential buyers for the corridor and said rezoning ‘‘may help them relocate’’ and permit future industrial buyers to assemble larger parcels.
A second‑reading ordinance to clarify UDO section 114‑6‑12(c) — specifying that all hard surfaces, pervious or impervious, be counted toward maximum lot coverage — failed on a close recorded voice vote and was then moved and approved to be tabled until the board’s February meeting for additional review. Planning staff said the proposal aims to prevent property owners from using permeable pavers to exceed coverage limits; commissioners asked for time to consider enforcement and practical distinctions between landscaping and utilized surface areas such as driveways, parking and patios.
The board adopted the county’s 2026 Road Classification Plan and approved other related planning items during the same meeting, and staff said several of the rezonings are intended to reflect the corridor’s existing pattern and the comprehensive plan’s mixed‑use character designation.
Votes at a glance • Sketch plat (Stravinsky Capital) — motion carried; conditions include dedicated easements and finalized water/sewer agreements; sidewalk waiver to be discussed with staff. • Rezoning (Parcel 034‑017, 10.66 acres) — approved to I‑1 (light industrial). • Rezoning (Parcels 034‑016 & 034‑016‑02, 14.73 acres) — approved to I‑1 (light industrial). • Rezoning (Parcel 034‑016‑01, 6.29 acres) — approved to I‑1 (light industrial). • UDO amendment (section 114‑6‑12(c) maximum lot coverage) — initial second‑reading motion failed (recorded as a narrow 3‑2 result), then the board voted to table the issue to February.
What’s next: The board’s action on rezonings is effective per local procedures; the UDO coverage amendment will return in February after staff provides additional information and legal/implementation clarifications.
Sources and reporting notes: Staff presentations, applicant statements and the board’s roll calls were the basis for this report. When direct quotes are used, speakers are identified by the name they gave on the record.
